Railway-rail clamp.



No. 833,578. Y PATENTED 001. 16, 1906.

H. W. CASE.

RAILWAY-RAIL CLAMP.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 16. 1906.

31 wewtoo arm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 16, 1906.

Application filed February 16, 1906. Serial No. 301,521-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOMER W. CAsE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Rail Clamps, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The object generally of my invention is the provision of a novel form of railway-rail clam whereby the necessity of the use of the usual spikes and spike-holes in the ties is obviated.

More specifically, the objects are, first, the peculiar construction of a railway-rail clamp whereby spreading of the rails is absolutely precluded by reason of the fact that the clam holds the rail to the tie in such a manner t at ractically the same rigidity is effected as if the tie and the rail were one piece; second, the peculiar construction of a railway-rail clamp and a tie whereby with the same size and kind of tie different tonnage rails may be used, as desired or required that is to say, rails whose bottom flanges are broader or narrower may be used, as preferred; third, the peculiar construction of a railway-rail clamp of a minimum number of parts, whereby extreme simplicity of structure is attained, with consequent cheapness of manufacture fourth, the peculiar construction of a railway-rail clamp, the parts of which may be assembled and applied in use with utmost celerity and ease and by any one, no matter how unskilled, and whereby possibility ofmistake by the wrong application of any part in assembling the device, even by those unskilled, is obviated; fifth, the disposition of the bolts of'my device in a horizontal plane, whereby the nuts carried thereby will not be jarred loose by vibration of trains passing over the rails, and whereby constant and annoying tightening of the nuts and the use" of a nut-lock in my device are rendered unnecessary. If the bolts were in a vertical plane, as customary, the vibration referred to would cause the nuts shortly to work loose, necessitating constant tightening thereof or the employment of a nut-lock therefor. I

With these objects in v'iew'and others appearing as the specification proceeds-my present invention comprehends the novel construction, combination, and arrangement Fig. 2 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of my improved form of tie. Fig. 3 is a perspective detail view of one member of the clamp. Fig. 4 is a collective detail view of the parts forming the other member of the clamp, and Fig. 5 1s a detail view of the finger-carrying cli Fteferring to the drawings, A designates my form of tie, preferably metallic, and comprising the top flanges a a as usual, each flange being advantageously formed with a pair of inclined cut-away portions a a and a 0; (shown more clearly in Fig. 2) for a purpose presently appearing. Each cut-away portion of the flange a with its similar or corresponding cut-away portion a of the other flange a, forms at these points a wedgeshaped or tapering conformation of t e flanges a a each pair of cut-away portions a a and a) a at their inner ends forming stops or ab utments a Each member of my clamp comprises three partsfirst, a clip B, provided with a socket or groove in which rests one edge of the top flange of the tie A at the cut-away portion thereof, with a' transverse opening 12 and with a nose or finger N, which engages tion d and'at the other end with a hook portion (P, in which rests the edge of the top flange of the tie A; third, a nutE, adapted to i be screwedonto the threaded end of the bolt.

In use when it is desired to apply the device the assemblage of the parts is entirely obvious. A clip B is slipped on the top flange of the tie A at the cut-away portion thereof, so that one edge of said flange rests in the socket or groove of the clip and the finger b engages and bears u on the top surface of the bottom flan e c of t e rail G. Then the bolt D is passed t ough the opening 6 of the clip,

so'that the other edge of the top flajngebfthe tie rests in the hook d of the bolt, and then the nut E is screwed tight on the bolt. On the other side of the rail the operation is repeated. Of course as the two clips are similarly formed when they are positioned on the tie A each clip on each side of the rail is diagonally opposite the other, so with the two noses and the hooked ends (1 of the bolts. They likewise are diagonally opposite each other, as if it were attempted to apply two clips to the same edge of the top flange of the tie A the finger b of one of the clips would not bear upon the top surface of the bottom flange c of the rail C. The person applying the device would immediately recognize that the clip (so attempted to be wrongly positioned) would have to be removed to the other edge of the top flange of the tie A. Consequently as the device is so simple, the parts are so few, and the application for use is so obvious the most unskilled workman on a railway can understand and quickly apply the device.

The advantage of the inclined cut-away portions a a and a a of the top flange of the tie A is that it permits of a larger or smaller rail being positioned on the tie, as desired, by merely loosening the nuts E and pushing the two clips and the two bolts outward or farther away from each other, whereupon the rail may be removed and a smaller or larger rail placed on the tie and the nuts tightened a ain. The quickness and the ease with which this can be done are self-evident. If I employed bolts, as customary-that is to say, spikesdriven into or secured in bolt or spike holes in the ties to secure the rail to the tie, this permits no adjustment, the spikes are hard to remove, and new spike-holes or bolt-holes have to be drilled when a larger or smaller rail is desired to replace the old rail. I have also discovered by positioning the bolts D in a horizontal plane (instead of in a vertical plane as has heretofore been proposed) that the nuts thereon will not rack or jar loose by the vibration of the trains moving over the rails C, wherefore I need no nutlock with my device and do not have to go to the annoyance and the trouble of tightening up the nuts every little while.

With my device positioned in use spreading of the rails is impossible. They can neither move sidewise or be tilted upward.

Minor modifications of detail come strictly within the scope and purview of my inven tion, as they constitute no departure from the spirit thereof.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. As a new article of manufacture, a railway-rail clamp comprising a clip formed on one side with a slot, and formed, also, with a finger and a transverse opening.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a railway-rail clamp comprising a clip formed on one side with a slot and formed, also, with a finger and a transverse slot or opening, and a bolt passing through the opening.

3. .As a new article of manufacture, a railway-rail clamp comprising a clip formed on one side with a slot, and formed, also, with a finger and a transverse opening, and a bolt passing through the opening and carrying at one end a nut.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a railway-rail clamp comprising a clip formed on one side with a slot and formed, also, with a finger and a transverse opening, and a bolt passing through the opening and carrying at one end a nut and formed at the other end with a hook.

5. In railway construction, a tie formed with a top flange, a rail disposed transversely thereof, two clamping-clips one on each side of the rail and bearing thereagainst, each clip formed with a groove in which rests the top flange of the tie, and a bolt passing through each clip and arranged to secure the clip against movement.

6. In railway construction, a tie formed with a top flange, a rail disposed transversely thereof, two clamping-clips one on each side of the rail and bearing thereagainst, each clip formed with a groove in which rests the top flange of the tie, and a bolt passing through each clip and formed with a hook at one end and carrying a nut at the other end.

7. In railway construction, a tie, a rail disposed transversely thereof, two clampingclips, one on each side of the rail, each clip having a nose or finger bearing upon the top surface of the bottom flange ofthe rail, and also having a groove in which rests the top flange of the tie, and a bolt passing through each clip and securing the same against movement.

8. In railway construction, a tie, a rail disposed transversely thereof, two clampingclips, one on each side of the rail, each chp having a nose or finger bearing upon the top surface of the bottom flange of the rail, and also having a groove in which rests the top flange of the tie, and a bolt passing through each clip and formed with a hook at one end in which rests the top flange of the tie, and carrying a nut at the other end.

9. In railway construction, a tie formed with a top flange having two pairs of inclined, cut-away portions, a rail disposed upon the tie in proximity to the cut-away portions thereof, and two clamping-clips, one on each side of the rail and bearing thereagainst, each clip being formed with a groove in which rests the edge of the cut-away portion of the top flange of the tie.

10. In railway construction, a tie formed with a top flange having two pairs of inclined, cut-away portlons, a rail disposed upon the tie in proximity to the cut-away portions thereof, two clamping-clips, one on each side ICC IIO

of the rail and bearing thereagainst, each clip being formed with a groove in which rests the edge of the cut-away portion of the top flange of the tie, and a bolt passing through each clip and securing the same against movement.

11. In railway construction, a tie formed with a top flange having two pairs of inclined, cut-away portions, a rail disposed upon the tie in proximity to the -cut-away portions thereof, two clamping-clips, one on each side of the rail and bearing thereagainst, each clip being formed with a groove in which rests the edge of the cut-away portion of the top flange of the tie, and a bolt passing 15 through each clip and carrying a nut at one end and being formed at the other end with a hook in which rests the edge of the cut-away portion of the top flange of the tie. v

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature 20 in presence of two witnesses.

HOMER W. CASE.

Witnesses:

FRANK C. HALL, PHILIP A. H. SERRELL. 

